Role Title: Strategic Planning and Stress Testing – Senior Manager, Delivery

Business: Finance

New or Existing Role- Replacement

Grade: GCB4

Role Purpose

• This role is critical to the success of HSBC’s vision of becoming the leading bank for transition to a net zero economy. It would sit within the Strategic Planning & Stress Testing (SP&ST) team which is situated within the Finance function. The team within which this role sits will be responsible for enhancing the delivery capability across climate driven strategic planning and stress testing exercises. Specifically, the role would be to plan and coordinate the delivery of multiple climate Stress Testing and Planning exercises at Group level and across all regions.
• In particular, the new hire will be required to run a flexible and fungible process to be able to support concurrent climate stress testing and planning executions, as part of a broader team. It will involve planning of climate stress testing and AOP exercises, end-to-end PMO across exercises, QA of regulatory submissions and coordination of regulatory interactions. Since climate change scenario analysis is an evolving area with increasing regulatory scrutiny, the role will involve a quick learning curve and an opportunity to work in an interesting topic which is increasingly in-demand
• The role also requires a strong ability to influence senior management and team outside the direct reports to deliver high quality Stress Testing and Planning exercises at pace

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for end-to-end planning across climate scenario analysis, stress testing and planning exercises for Group. Will also need to work with regional teams (e.g. HK, UK) to plan local exercises
• Prepare a calendar of climate based regulatory engagement, ensuring consistency of approach and commitments given
• Support preparation of communications documentation, including that for regulatory interactions
• Track, maintain and monitor a register of issues and risks for all climate based forecasting exercises, pre-emptively escalating unmitigated risks to the right management individuals
• Routinely inform senior management of progress across timelines and plans for climate forecasting exercises (incl. AOP)
• Develop a stakeholder map and plan for regular engagement on climate change issues
• Work with other SP&ST stakeholders to identify and resolve road blocks to delivery

Typical KPIs and Targets

• All climate stress testing and planning exercises are adequately delivered
• Ability to work effectively while keeping sight of multiple delivery components, specifically – coordination of data, executing stress testing processes, running quality assurance cycles, coordinating coporotae governance and regulatory interactions
• Issues and risks are promptly identified, managed and resolved with minimal escalation
• Senior management and teams involved in exercises are informed and communicated
• Best in class practices are utilized for planning and PMO
• Improvements are identified and implemented
• Smooth collaboration across varios SP&ST teams responsible for executing the climate stress testing and planning exercises

Customers / Stakeholders

• The role is key to delivery of climate forecasting exercises, helping HSBC’s ambition to be a leading bank in the transition to the net zero economy. Influence and collaborate with stakeholders and business partner.

Typical KPIs and Targets

• Can challenge stakeholders outside the immediate team on quality and pace of outputs. Is seen as the go-to person to deliver climate related exercises

Leadership & Teamwork

• Work collaboratively across colleagues, driving the execution and capturing and implementing lessons learnt from climate forecasting exercises

Typical KPIs and Targets

• Establishment of strong, effective and collaborative working relationships within the team and with other stakeholders across Finance, Risk and Business

Operational Effectiveness & Control

• Run processes in an auditable and transparent manner. Explain processes to Internal Audit and to regulators, and address issues where identified
• Leadership over all regulatory and compliance matters and the management of operational risk in the area of responsibility

Typical KPIs and Targets

• All changes managed through a robust governance and budgetary control structure harnessing Group systems and initiatives, as appropriate

Major Challenges

• The role holder will be working in a new, exciting content area of climate change with a fast-changing policy and capability landscape. It will require ability to work in an environment undergoing extensive transformation, and involving high regulatory expectations and investor scrutiny.
• The role holder will have to plan and monitor multiple, sometimes simultanous climate forecasting exercises and AOP across Group; this requires collaboration across a broad and significant population of stakeholders and competing priorities
• Run and where necessary, improve global climate forecasting exercises and AOP processes. The major challenge will be to manage competing priorities and influence team not under direct reporting line. Need to act as an expert on processes, delivery mechanisms and milestones
• Leverage technology and tools, including cloud, to execute better processes underlying planning and stress testing to deliver a more efficient and effective outcome.
• Ensure that potential risk areas are accurately recognised and seek assurance that solutions meet appropriate standards and policies and decisions are made in line with the approved Decision Making Framework, the jobholder needs to have independence of thought and lateral thinking
• Heavy workload and demands of the Group Finance function requiring ability to manage ambiguity and fast paced change

Role Context

• Finance is a major function that protects the reputation of the Bank by effective accounting and control and provides timely and accurate financial information, forecasts and advice to senior stakeholders to support decision making. The function is responsible for external financial reporting to shareholders and analysts, regulatory reporting to regulators around the world, internal management reporting to senior executives, the design and implementation of Group accounting policies, the development and oversight of Finance Systems, and has involvement in Global Finance Change Programmes. The output of Group Finance is high-profile and is produced in a confidential environment to tight deadlines but requiring a high degree of accuracy and robust control in accordance with Sarbanes Oxley requirements.
• The various finance teams consist of high calibre, technically strong individuals, working within a demanding environment.

Management Risk

• The jobholder will continually reassess the operational risks associated with the role and inherent in the business, taking account of changing economic or market conditions, legal and regulatory requirements, operating procedures and practices, management restructurings, and the impact of new technology.
• This will be achieved by ensuring all actions take account of the likelihood of operational risk occurring. Also involves addressing any areas of concern in conjunction with line management and/or the appropriate department.

Observation of Internal Controls

• The jobholder will also require adherence to and ability to demonstrate adherence to internal controls. This will be achieved by following all relevant procedures, keeping appropriate records and, where appropriate, by the timely implementation of internal and external audit points, including issues raised by external regulators.
• The jobholder will implement the Group compliance policy by following all relevant processes/procedures and by liaising with the Director of climate stress testing and scenario analysis/Compliance department about new business initiatives at the earliest opportunity. Also by ensuring adequate resources are in place and training is provided, fostering a compliance culture.